Had a wonderful dinner last night overlooking the river, have to say the food here has been fabulous. And today we walked to the Old town, which is quite a way in this extreme heat. We took our time and wandered into a few shops and Wats ( temples) on the way. In one of the temples we each recieved a blessing from an old monk and then got conned into setting birds free. The birds are ' wild' and held in little cages, it is supposed to bring you good luck to set them free. However I have read that the birds are tame and therefore return, which just about sums it all up !!! Still for a £1 it had to be done! I am also as always amazed at how many Hindu Gods are in the Buddhist temples, I so love to see Ganeshe taking his pride of place outside, together with the Naga's Had lunch- which was a rather strange cheese sandwhich and then had a fish pedicure. Have to say there were none of the hygiene practices we observed when we had ours. Still it really helps to re-invigorate tired feet and got us back on our way. Got some brilliant footage of some novice monks chanting and still more blessings. But as Dennis pointed out we can never have too many. We got a Tuk Tuk back which was great fun and really cheap, so we will do that again. As I am writing this we have a huge White Rabbit which roams free around the place just settling down outside our verandah. Now I truly feel like Alice in Wonderland. And its dark, really hot at 6pm and I mean HOT and raining !! Surreal .
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Monday, 12 November 2012
Chiang Mai
Here we are in Chiang Mai, we are staying in a lovely hotel, our room is in the middle of a beautiful garden. It reminds me of the hotels in Bali. After the noise of Bangkok its really quiet, theres no sounds only a tinkle of water from the water feature outside our room and the occasional sound of an exotic bird !!
So nice to be out of Bangkok, although I enjoyed seeing it, I was getting a bit fed up with seeing old men with young girls. Last night as we came out of the hotel an English guy was warning his Thai girlfriend to behave herself, I really had to restrain myself as they had been at the pool earlier and he had been bossing her around then. It was embarrassing to say the least. Then we met a girl in our lift who said she was looking for room 1001, so we dropped her off on the 10th floor. I know its a way of life but I am not used to having it shoved in my face. I think if I stayed too long in Bangkok I would have to become a madam and get these girls organised and get the guys to show them a bit of respect ! Hah imagine that !! Anyhow have developed a runny nose and sore throat and so have had a quiet afternoon at our hotel. Later we shall set out to explore the night market and tomorrow we shall walk to the old city and visit some temples there, just need to shake off this cold !
So nice to be out of Bangkok, although I enjoyed seeing it, I was getting a bit fed up with seeing old men with young girls. Last night as we came out of the hotel an English guy was warning his Thai girlfriend to behave herself, I really had to restrain myself as they had been at the pool earlier and he had been bossing her around then. It was embarrassing to say the least. Then we met a girl in our lift who said she was looking for room 1001, so we dropped her off on the 10th floor. I know its a way of life but I am not used to having it shoved in my face. I think if I stayed too long in Bangkok I would have to become a madam and get these girls organised and get the guys to show them a bit of respect ! Hah imagine that !! Anyhow have developed a runny nose and sore throat and so have had a quiet afternoon at our hotel. Later we shall set out to explore the night market and tomorrow we shall walk to the old city and visit some temples there, just need to shake off this cold !
Friday, 9 November 2012
1 day in Bangkok
Our first proper day in Thailand. We arrived at lunchtime yesterday after a very easy journey. Our hotel is really nice and on our arrived upgraded us from a junior suite to a club room, which includes free drinks between 5 & 7 !!! Lovely !! Today we hired a private driver ( Mr Owen) from the hotel (5 hours for £ 25) and he took us to the Gold Buddha, then the Reclining Buddha, then to the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace. The Gold Buddha is huge over 3m and made of pure Gold. It was discovered in the 1950's when workmen moving what they thought was an old plaster Buddha to a new Wat accidently dropped it. Some of the plaster fell off to reveal the authentic Gold Buddha underneath. Imagine how the workmen must have felt initially about dropping it, only to find they had become national heroes !! It is beautiful, but interesting as it looks quite masculine with a decidedly hooked nose. It dates back to the 13th century so at that point in time Thai people clearly saw the Buddha that way. Todays Buddha's look rather more androgenous, funny that- why ?! And then to the Reclining Buddha, he is 45m long and is in the reclining pose ( otherwise known as the Lion pose) which is the position Buddha took to die. He was AMAZin and I really loved this one. You walk through this long building painted beautifully with Buddhist stories and the Buddha reclines the full lenght. In gold. On the otherside of the room, at his back are 108 buckets. 108 is a very Auspicious number. For a small ammount of money ( 40p) you can buy coins that you place in each bucket to bring good luck. Dennis did the business whilst I filmed him, it had to be done. This one was my favourite. Before we went into this, there was a smaller Wat where I was able to buy an offering and pay my respects to the Buddha, which I did, feeling a little nervious as the only one's doing this were Thai and I did not want to offend. But I did want to pay homage and give my own thanks for getting me through the last year.
Then over to the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. The Wats surrounding this one are especially lovely- rich and opulent. The Buddha itself is much smaller- about 1m high, However it is made of pure Jade and given much respect as it possesses healing powers. We were not allowed to photograph it, although I hopefully have a good pic from my camcorder taken on zoom outside. We were running out of time at this point, and beginning to suffer the effects of jet lag and the heat, so didnt spend so much time at the Grand Palace itself. But to be honest my interest is purely in the Buddist aspect, so I saw what really mattered to me. Having said that I am, as always, really intrigued by the way Hinduism and Buddism entwine. Here its Buddha that gets all the Marigold flower offerings, but there was a Shiva Lingum at the Reclining Buddha site, how do you make sense of that ? Now off again for dinner, feel so happy and this is only first day, how does it get better than that ?
Then over to the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. The Wats surrounding this one are especially lovely- rich and opulent. The Buddha itself is much smaller- about 1m high, However it is made of pure Jade and given much respect as it possesses healing powers. We were not allowed to photograph it, although I hopefully have a good pic from my camcorder taken on zoom outside. We were running out of time at this point, and beginning to suffer the effects of jet lag and the heat, so didnt spend so much time at the Grand Palace itself. But to be honest my interest is purely in the Buddist aspect, so I saw what really mattered to me. Having said that I am, as always, really intrigued by the way Hinduism and Buddism entwine. Here its Buddha that gets all the Marigold flower offerings, but there was a Shiva Lingum at the Reclining Buddha site, how do you make sense of that ? Now off again for dinner, feel so happy and this is only first day, how does it get better than that ?
Monday, 29 October 2012
Eureka !
Yes I have it ! Just as I was saying that the Universe was ignoring me and also saying that I wanted a ceremony of gratitude in Thailand, it happened.
Dennis opened the Sunday Times travel supplement and there was an article about the forth coming Buddhist ceremony in Thailand called Loy Krathong. Its a ceremony to thank the water goddess Phra Mae Kongka and takes place on the 28th November ( our last night !) Apparently on this night all Thai's make thier way to rivers or the sea after dark with offerings called Krathongs which sound very similar to the offerings on Bali in that they are made from banana leaves or coconut shells and contain flowers, incense and candle's. The idea is that this little boat is floated on the water and you give thanks and make a wish. Ideally for it to work the candle must remain lit until it is out of sight. The other interesting fact is that the water goddess is adopted from the Hindu tradition where she is given the title of goddess of the Ganges. Perfect, a lovely mix of my two favourite cultures/ religions and the way of offering is now very dear to my heart ! And how amazing is it that this is on our last night, we shall be in Bangkok and shall be able to make our way to the river. Thank you Universe you have provided me with the perfect way to show my gratitude, I cant wait- the syncronicity of this is complete verification that we are going to be in the right place at just the right time.
On a very sad note it appears that Bernie Nolan ( of the sisters) has announced that her breast cancer has come back after 3 years, and having been given the all - clear. It has spread through her lungs, liver brain and bones and is now incurable. Bastard, bastard disease. Now you know dear friends why I am not prepared to hang up my travelling boots, not yet.
Dennis opened the Sunday Times travel supplement and there was an article about the forth coming Buddhist ceremony in Thailand called Loy Krathong. Its a ceremony to thank the water goddess Phra Mae Kongka and takes place on the 28th November ( our last night !) Apparently on this night all Thai's make thier way to rivers or the sea after dark with offerings called Krathongs which sound very similar to the offerings on Bali in that they are made from banana leaves or coconut shells and contain flowers, incense and candle's. The idea is that this little boat is floated on the water and you give thanks and make a wish. Ideally for it to work the candle must remain lit until it is out of sight. The other interesting fact is that the water goddess is adopted from the Hindu tradition where she is given the title of goddess of the Ganges. Perfect, a lovely mix of my two favourite cultures/ religions and the way of offering is now very dear to my heart ! And how amazing is it that this is on our last night, we shall be in Bangkok and shall be able to make our way to the river. Thank you Universe you have provided me with the perfect way to show my gratitude, I cant wait- the syncronicity of this is complete verification that we are going to be in the right place at just the right time.
On a very sad note it appears that Bernie Nolan ( of the sisters) has announced that her breast cancer has come back after 3 years, and having been given the all - clear. It has spread through her lungs, liver brain and bones and is now incurable. Bastard, bastard disease. Now you know dear friends why I am not prepared to hang up my travelling boots, not yet.
Friday, 26 October 2012
What a difference a year makes ? !
Whew what a week ! One of the girls is on holiday so Dennis is covering the shop. I have had a Reiki Master class for 3 days. I love teaching Reiki, its really fulfilling, but can be quite tiring as my mind must be fully present for 3 whole days, which is quite a record for me !!
Still trying to come to terms with my ' all clear ' and wondering why this has caused me this slight upset. Can you believe I could be upset with an all clear ? I think its the old ' mind fuck' thing doing my head in. I just dont know what to think or do. Its one thing thinking your life is ending and something completely different to think your life is just beginning. Please dont get me wrong, I am ecstatic and keep smiling to myself ( like an idiot), its just that I suddenly find I have no plans. I simply dont know what to do next. The Universe seems to have abandoned me, I have no direction, although as Dennis points out I will probably get something in Thailand, but I hate being in this no- mans land. One thing I do know is I do not want to go back to how things where. Dont get me wrong my life was fine before all this started, but being re-born is such a waste if you dont do something with it. Although again as Dennis points out if I decide to have a reconstruction next year thats 3 months out of the equation. I think I must just be suffered pre travelling syndrome, I hate the lull and the rush ( because I always get both) before I travel. Maybe Thailand will give me the opportunity to mull over the rest of my life ( whatever that may be), and hopefully I shall return with some answers, but who knows? Last year at this time I was looking forward to a week in Gran Canaria having been told I shouldnt go and bring radiotherapy treatment forward as I had an ' agressive' cancer, now only a year later I'm off to Thailand cancer free. How do you make sense of that ?
Enjoy the weekend and dont forget we get an extra hour in bed tomorrow night !
Still trying to come to terms with my ' all clear ' and wondering why this has caused me this slight upset. Can you believe I could be upset with an all clear ? I think its the old ' mind fuck' thing doing my head in. I just dont know what to think or do. Its one thing thinking your life is ending and something completely different to think your life is just beginning. Please dont get me wrong, I am ecstatic and keep smiling to myself ( like an idiot), its just that I suddenly find I have no plans. I simply dont know what to do next. The Universe seems to have abandoned me, I have no direction, although as Dennis points out I will probably get something in Thailand, but I hate being in this no- mans land. One thing I do know is I do not want to go back to how things where. Dont get me wrong my life was fine before all this started, but being re-born is such a waste if you dont do something with it. Although again as Dennis points out if I decide to have a reconstruction next year thats 3 months out of the equation. I think I must just be suffered pre travelling syndrome, I hate the lull and the rush ( because I always get both) before I travel. Maybe Thailand will give me the opportunity to mull over the rest of my life ( whatever that may be), and hopefully I shall return with some answers, but who knows? Last year at this time I was looking forward to a week in Gran Canaria having been told I shouldnt go and bring radiotherapy treatment forward as I had an ' agressive' cancer, now only a year later I'm off to Thailand cancer free. How do you make sense of that ?
Enjoy the weekend and dont forget we get an extra hour in bed tomorrow night !
Sunday, 21 October 2012
All Clear
God its been ages since my last blog, but I havnt really had much to write about, until now.
When I saw my Oncologist I asked if I could have a CT scan as I havnt had one since my diagnosis, so one was arranged and I had it a week ago. It was not easy because of my unco-operative veins but eventually after a lot of faffing around the scan was done. Then comes the wait, part of you is happy that you dont have the results yet, the other part is going crazy. Eventually I found out by phoning Barbara my breast nurse and she told me that apart from a small cyst in my kidney ( which apparently a lot of us have) I'm clear of Cancer! What a shock, cant tell you how I felt, I dont know what I expected to hear but that was totally mind blowing. I AM FREE OF CANCER, if I say it enough I will believe it. Its the exact opposite of when I got my diagnosis as then I had to keep saying I HAVE GOT CANCER, to make myself believe that. What a mind fuck ! Such a journey ! Such good news- but I dont know what to do with it ! Its like the diagnosis I can tell everyone and receive their love and support, but no - one can tell me how I feel. Even I dont know how I feel, its bizarre!
Of course its not the end of it, I have not received the all clear, but its a battle I have won even if the war is still on. And it could have been so different, right?
So what to do now? Well we are off to Thailand in a couple of weeks, so busy getting things arranged for that. We have decided to have our Christmas lunch out, so have booked that. But what about a big thing? Surely there should be some sort of momentous decision or some huge thing to mark the occasion?
I am going to have a little ceremony of gratitude, probably in Thailand, somewhere beautiful. I guess on the beach as we did in Bali when I said goodbye to the big C. I dont know what or how it will be I guess that will come. But a ceremony is in order to say a huge big grateful thanks to the Universe for getting me this far. But for now ' thankyou who/ whatever you are, I couldnt have done it without you' XXXXX
When I saw my Oncologist I asked if I could have a CT scan as I havnt had one since my diagnosis, so one was arranged and I had it a week ago. It was not easy because of my unco-operative veins but eventually after a lot of faffing around the scan was done. Then comes the wait, part of you is happy that you dont have the results yet, the other part is going crazy. Eventually I found out by phoning Barbara my breast nurse and she told me that apart from a small cyst in my kidney ( which apparently a lot of us have) I'm clear of Cancer! What a shock, cant tell you how I felt, I dont know what I expected to hear but that was totally mind blowing. I AM FREE OF CANCER, if I say it enough I will believe it. Its the exact opposite of when I got my diagnosis as then I had to keep saying I HAVE GOT CANCER, to make myself believe that. What a mind fuck ! Such a journey ! Such good news- but I dont know what to do with it ! Its like the diagnosis I can tell everyone and receive their love and support, but no - one can tell me how I feel. Even I dont know how I feel, its bizarre!
Of course its not the end of it, I have not received the all clear, but its a battle I have won even if the war is still on. And it could have been so different, right?
So what to do now? Well we are off to Thailand in a couple of weeks, so busy getting things arranged for that. We have decided to have our Christmas lunch out, so have booked that. But what about a big thing? Surely there should be some sort of momentous decision or some huge thing to mark the occasion?
I am going to have a little ceremony of gratitude, probably in Thailand, somewhere beautiful. I guess on the beach as we did in Bali when I said goodbye to the big C. I dont know what or how it will be I guess that will come. But a ceremony is in order to say a huge big grateful thanks to the Universe for getting me this far. But for now ' thankyou who/ whatever you are, I couldnt have done it without you' XXXXX
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Back home
Back in chilly Blighty, and back to work. Loads to do as always, as well as prepare for winter and our trip to Thailand. I had an appointment with the oncologist before I went to Spain. He is a man of very few words. He just asked me if I felt ok or had any problems. When I said no I feel fine he just said ok we will see you in a years time, unless you feel unwell or get another lump. So I said arnt you going to scan me then? He said ok if you want a scan we can arrange that. I said well I would like to know I,m all clear at the moment. So I have to have a blood test ( dont know why) and then they will arrange the scan. I was hoping I could get it and have the results become I go to Thailand. But dont think that will happen. Ah well the Universe will decide that.
Had a little time to think in Spain and have decided to go and have a word with Jenny Smith my consultant about having a reconstruction early next year. I did say I didnt really want one and I' m still not 100% convinced but I am having a few problems with my implant and I guess it will only get worse. So I have decided to speak to Jenny and get some more information and to find out if it would be possible to get it done straight after Christmas, on the basis that it I am going to be out of action that is the best time of year to do it. So will keep you informed.
Thats it for today, now off to the Odessey centre for a Reiki session with David.
Had a little time to think in Spain and have decided to go and have a word with Jenny Smith my consultant about having a reconstruction early next year. I did say I didnt really want one and I' m still not 100% convinced but I am having a few problems with my implant and I guess it will only get worse. So I have decided to speak to Jenny and get some more information and to find out if it would be possible to get it done straight after Christmas, on the basis that it I am going to be out of action that is the best time of year to do it. So will keep you informed.
Thats it for today, now off to the Odessey centre for a Reiki session with David.
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